Chapter commentary
Joshua Chapter 16
서론
Untitled
简体中文
English original
It is a pity that this and the following chapter should be separated, for both of them give us the lot of the children of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, who, next to Judah, were to have the post of honour, and therefore had the first and best portion in the northern part of Canaan, as Judah now had in the southern part. In this chapter we have, I. A general account of the lot of these two tribes together, Jos 16:1-4. II. The borders of the lot of Ephraim in particular, Jos 16:5-10. That of Manasseh following in the next chapter.
1-4
The Lot of Joseph (1444 BC)
简体中文
约瑟的阄分（主前1444年）
¹ 约瑟子孙的阄分如下：从耶利哥旁边的约旦河起，东至耶利哥的水，上到从耶利哥出来的旷野，经过伯特利山；
² 又从伯特利到路斯，接连到亚基人的境界，直到亚他录；
³ 又往西下到雅弗利人的境界，到下伯·和仑的境界，直到基色；直通到海为止。
⁴ 约瑟的子孙玛拿西、以法莲就得了自己的产业。
约瑟虽是雅各较年幼的儿子之一，却是他最公正、最蒙爱的妻子拉结所生的长子，他自己也是雅各最蒙爱的儿子，又是他家族最大的装饰与支柱——曾在饥荒之时保全了家族免于灭亡，并作过以色列的牧者和磐石；因此他的后裔在掣签中大蒙恩待。他们的份正处于迦南地的中心。其境界东自约旦河（书16:1），西至大海——地中海——所以横贯迦南从东到西的全境；无疑这地土的肥美正如雅各和摩西的祝福所言（创49:25,26；申33:13-17等）。分给以法莲和玛拿西的产业不像其他支派那样被详尽描述；我们只见其界限和四界，却不见其中具体的城邑——不像前文我们见犹大的城邑，后文又见其他支派的城邑。对此我们不能指出别的缘由，除非可推想：约书亚自己既属约瑟的子孙，他们便将阄分内的各城交他独自在他们中间分配，因此并未将他们城邑的名目呈报办理此事的首领大议会——如此，这些城邑便未与其余的一同记入书中。
English original
The Lot of Joseph (1444 BC)
¹ And the lot of the children of Joseph fell from Jordan by Jericho, unto the water of Jericho on the east, to the wilderness that goeth up from Jericho throughout mount Beth-el,
² And goeth out from Beth-el to Luz, and passeth along unto the borders of Archi to Ataroth,
³ And goeth down westward to the coast of Japhleti, unto the coast of Beth-horon the nether, and to Gezer: and the goings out thereof are at the sea.
⁴ So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance.
Though Joseph was one of the younger sons of Jacob, yet he was his eldest by his most just and best beloved wife Rachel, was himself his best beloved son, and had been the greatest ornament and support of his family, kept it from perishing in a time of famine, and had been the shepherd and stone of Israel, and therefore his posterity were very much favoured by the lot. Their portion lay in the very heart of the land of Canaan. It extended from Jordan in the east (Jos 16:1) to the sea, the Mediterranean Sea, in the west, so that it took up the whole breadth of Canaan from side to side; and no question the fruitfulness of the soil answered the blessings both of Jacob and Moses, Ge 49:25,26, De 33:13-17, etc. The portions allotted to Ephraim and Manasseh are not so particularly described as those of the other tribes; we have only the limits and boundaries of them, not the particular cities in them, as before we had the cities of Judah and afterwards those of the other tribes. For this no reason can be assigned, unless we may suppose that Joshua being himself of the children of Joseph they referred it to him alone to distribute among them the several cities that lay within their lot, and therefore did not bring in the names of their cities to the great council of their princes who sat upon this affair, by which means it came to pass that they were not inserted with the rest in the books.
5-10
The Inheritance of Joseph's Children (1444 BC)
简体中文
约瑟子孙的产业（公元前1444年）
⁵ 以法莲子孙按着宗族所得的地业，其界如下：他们产业东界的起头是亚他录亚达，直到上伯和仑； ⁶ 往西通到北面的密米他；境界又向东绕到他纳示罗，又从其东经过雅挪哈， ⁷ 从雅挪哈下到亚他录，又到拿拉，直到耶利哥，直出到约旦河为止。 ⁸ 又从他普亚往西，到加拿河；其尽头在海。这就是以法莲子孙按着宗族所得的产业。 ⁹ 还有为以法莲子孙所分别出来的城邑，是在玛拿西子孙的产业之中；一切的城邑带属村庄都是如此。 ¹⁰ 他们没有赶出住基色的迦南人；迦南人仍住在以法莲人中间，直到今日，作服苦的人。
此处，1．以法莲拈阘之地的境界被记下：南界借此与便雅悯和但相隔（这二支派在它与犹大之间），北界借此与玛拿西相隔；东西则从约旦延伸至大海。学者们若要按此处所记方位精确绘出界线，便觉非常为难，因描述简短而复杂。近代游历过那些地方之人的报告，并不能消除这些难处，因为今日与古时已大不相同；不仅城邑被毁坏得毫无痕迹可寻，连溪流也干涸，河道改移，正如约伯记 14:18 所言，山崩变为无有，磐石挪开原处。我若不能指望解开这幅以法莲境界图所生的疑难，提它也无用：无疑当时这是完全为人所明白的，记下它最初的目的——就是宣告那古时的地界，后代决不可挪移——已有效达到了。2．又提到几座独立的城，不在这些境界之内——至少若按直线划界则不在内——却落在玛拿西的拈阘之中（书 16:9）；这节也许更当读作：并且以法莲子孙在玛拿西子孙的产业中有分别的城邑，因为结果证明玛拿西能分出这些，以法莲又有所需，也可指望这两支派同处一地不致不便，因他们都是约瑟之子，理当如弟兄相爱。由此可知，虽然当各支派在摩押平原被数点时，玛拿西在人数上超过了以法莲——那时玛拿西有五万二千，以法莲只有三万二千（民 26:34、37）——但等到他们在迦南安定下来，天平又翻过来了，摩西的祝福得着验证（申 33:17）：他们是以法莲的万数，他们是玛拿西的千数。家族与国度，或衰微或兴旺，又兴旺又衰微，皆随神所喜悦。3．以法莲人被记上一笔耻辱：他们没有把迦南人从基色赶出去（书 16:10）——或因疏忽，或因懦弱；或因对神应许缺乏信心，不肯相信他们若奋力一搏，神必赐他们成功；或因对神诫命缺乏热心——那诫命命他们尽行驱逐迦南人，不与他们讲和。他们虽想借给迦南人纳贡服役来满足律法，然而（如加尔文所言）这反而使事情更糟，因为这表明他们是因贪心才饶了他们，为要从他们的劳力中得益；而向他们收取贡物、与之交易，便有受其偶像崇拜传染之虞。不过也有人以为，当他们使他们服役纳贡之时，也强迫他们弃绝偶像，并遵守挪亚子孙的七条诫命；我本也愿这样想，但我们在故事后文中看见，以色列人非但没有在别人身上遏制偶像崇拜，自己反倒很快陷入其中。在这以法莲支派之拈阘内，虽未在此提及，却有许多著名之地。其中有拉玛——撒母耳之城（新约称为亚利马太，那位埋葬我们救主的约瑟便是从这里来的）；又有示罗——会幕初次设立之处。又有得撒——耶罗波安及其继位者的王城；底波拉审判以色列的棕树，也在这一支派之内。撒玛利亚——暗利在得撒王宫被焚后所建——也在这一支派之内，长期作北方十支派国的王城；离此不远有示剑，以巴路山和基利心山，以及叙加，附近就是雅各井，基督在那里与撒玛利亚妇人谈话。我们在《士师记》的故事中读到许多关于以法莲山的事；又有一座称为以法莲的城（大概在这一支派内），基督曾退到那里（约 11:54）。北方十支派的全王国，在先知书中（尤其在何西阿书里）常被称为以法莲。
English original
The Inheritance of Joseph's Children (1444 BC)
⁵ And the border of the children of Ephraim according to their families was thus: even the border of their inheritance on the east side was Ataroth-addar, unto Beth-horon the upper;
⁶ And the border went out toward the sea to Michmethah on the north side; and the border went about eastward unto Taanath-shiloh, and passed by it on the east to Janohah;
⁷ And it went down from Janohah to Ataroth, and to Naarath, and came to Jericho, and went out at Jordan.
⁸ The border went out from Tappuah westward unto the river Kanah; and the goings out thereof were at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim by their families.
⁹ And the separate cities for the children of Ephraim were among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages.
¹⁰ And they drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute.
Here, 1. The border of the lot of Ephraim is set down, by which it was divided on the south from Benjamin and Dan, who lay between it and Judah, and on the north from Manasseh; for east and west it reached from Jordan to the great sea. The learned, who aim to be exact in drawing the line according to the directions here, find themselves very much at a loss, the description being short and intricate. The report of those who in these latter ages have travelled those countries will not serve to clear the difficulties, so vastly unlike is it now to what it was then; not only cities have been so destroyed as that no mark nor footstep of them remains, but brooks are dried up, rivers alter their courses, and even the mountain falling cometh to nought, and the rock is removed out of his place, Job 14:18. Unless I could hope to solve the doubts that arise upon this draught of the border of Ephraim, it is to no purpose to mention them: no doubt it was then perfectly understood, so as that the first intention of recording it was effectually answered, which was to notify the ancient landmarks, which posterity must by no means remove. 2. Some separate cities are spoken of, that lay not within these borders, at least not if the line was drawn direct, but lay within the lot of Manasseh (Jos 16:9), which might better be read, and there were separate cities for the children of Ephraim among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, because it proved that Manasseh could spare them, and Ephraim had need of them, and it might be hoped that no inconvenience would arise from this mixture of these two tribes together, who were both the sons of Joseph, and should love as brethren. And by this it appears that though, when the tribes were numbered in the plains of Moab, Manasseh had got the start of Ephraim in number, for Manasseh was then 52,000, and Ephraim but 32,000 (Nu 26:34,37), yet by the time they were well settled in Canaan the hands were crossed again, and the blessing of Moses was verified, De 33:17, They are the ten thousands of Ephraim and they are the thousands of Manasseh. Families and kingdoms are diminished and increased, increased and diminished again, as God pleases. 3. A brand is put upon the Ephraimites, that they did not drive out the Canaanites from Gezer (Jos 16:10), either through carelessness or cowardice, either for want of faith in the promise of God, that he would give them success if they would make a vigorous effort, or for want of zeal for the command of God, which obliged them utterly to drive out the Canaanites, and to make no peace with them. And, though they hoped to satisfy the law by putting them under tribute, yet (as Calvin thinks) this made the matter worse, for it shows that they spared them out of covetousness, that they might be profited by their labours, and by dealing with them for their tribute they were in danger of being infected with their idolatry; yet some think that, when they brought them under tribute, they obliged them to renounce their idols, and to observe the seven precepts of the sons of Noah; and I should think so, but that we find in the sequel of the story that the Israelites were so far from restraining idolatry in others that they soon fell into it themselves. Many famous places were within this lot of the tribe of Ephraim, though not mentioned here. In it were Ramah, Samuel's city (called in the New Testament Arimathea, of which Joseph was, that took care of our Saviour's burial), and Shiloh, where the tabernacle was first set up. Tirzah also, the royal city of Jeroboam and his successors, and Deborah's palm-tree, under which she judged Israel, were in this tribe. Samaria, built by Omri after the burning of the royal palace of Tirzah, was in this tribe, and was long the royal city of the kingdom of the ten tribes; not far from it were Shechem, and the mountains Ebal and Gerizim, and Sychar, near which was Jacob's well, where Christ talked with the woman of Samaria. We read much of Mount Ephraim in the story of the Judges, and of a city called Ephraim, it is probable in this tribe, to which Christ retired, Joh 11:54. The whole kingdom of the ten tribes is often, in the prophets, especially in Hosea, called Ephraim.
约书亚记第十六章
本章与下一章本不宜分开，因这两章都向我们记述了约瑟子孙以法莲和玛拿西的份；他们仅次于犹大，当得尊位，故在迦南北部得了首要、最优美的分地，正如犹大此时在南部所得的一样。在本章中，I. 概括地记述这两个支派合得的份，书 16:1-4。II. 特别记述以法莲之份的疆界，书 16:5-10。玛拿西的份则见于下一章。